Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

All nurses and midwives have a professional responsibility to keep themselves abreast of clinical and professional developments. this is no less true for nurse prescribing. Prescribers will be expected to keep up to date with best practice in the management of conditions for which they may prescribe and in the use of the drugs, dressing and appliances. they may use the learning from this activity as part of the post Registrations Eduction and Practice (PREP-CPD) activity. The employer should ensure that the practitioner has access to relevant education and training provision. Details of additional training and updating will need to be incorporated by the individual into their personal professional profile, in order to renew their registration with the NMC.

This document is available on the NPC website www.npc.co.uk

Disclaimer - Own responsibility for non medical prescriber to be registered and approved by Professional Body

The concept of life long learning, whereby skills, knowledge and competence are maintained through a process of study, reflection as well as personal and professional development, is a recognisable part of the nurse’s professional pathway. Once trained and qualified as an independent nurse prescriber and supplementary prescriber the nurse has a commitment to maintain his/her prescribing competence.

Who is responsible for CPD?

The nurse prescriber is primarily responsible for his/her own CPD. The National Prescribing Centre (NPC) advise that the individual prescriber must highlight his/her CPD needs and meet these effectively in order to be professionally accountable and maintain his/her duty of care.

However, the nurse prescriber’s employer still holds some responsibility in confirming that the individual is fit for practice (NPC Sept 2003).

The NPC have developed a number of competency frameworks for professional groups.

How can effective CPD be achieved?

There has been some frustration that no extra funding has been made available to assist nurses in meeting their CPD needs. Certainly a more coordinated approach to CPD would be beneficial and prevent new non medical prescribers feeling isolated once qualified. With limited funds and often little extra time available the approach to CPD often has to be flexible and imaginative. There are many approaches to CPD and the model chosen by the individual will be dependent on his/her learning style as well as his/her job purpose and work setting. Gibson (2001) highlights some ways in which nurses can maintain their prescribing competence, these are by: peer support, auditing nurse prescribing, reviewing prescribing patterns, critical incident reviews, clinical supervision and keeping up to date with current prescribing literature.

Attendance at Annual Non Medical Prescribing Conference and local meetings etc

• Peer Support
  
• Auditing Prescribing
  
• Critical Incident reviews
  
• Clinical Supervision
  
• Keeping up to date with current prescribing literature

Further Internet resources

www.npc.co.uk

Gives information about CPD and competence.

www.druginfozone.nhs.uk
a huge amount of information on medicines, prescribing and links to other sites. Some useful presentations e.g. Adverse Drug Reactions and Pharmacokinetics.

www.healthcareproductions.co.uk
offers web based CPD in nurse prescribing and eczema management, with the opportunity to study to level 3

www.nurses.info/nurse_prescribing.htm

www.mca.gov.uk